Returning Home
by Paperclip-Assassin
Summary: Ziva hasn't been to Israel in ten years, so naturally when an investigation leads to Tel-Aviv, she's more than excited to come back home and introduce her partner to an old friend. AU. One-shot. TxZ.


**Okay, so this is losely based on a dream I had in which Ziva hadn't been to Israel since she'd left for the States in Season 3, therefore this whole thing is definitely AU and maybe even a little OOC. It's just a couple of short scenes with the team investigating and spending time in Tel-Aviv.**

**It was a pretty cool dream, actually. I liked the idea my subconsciousness made up for me :D  
Hope you'll enjoy it too. :)**

**Disclaimer: _Disclaimed, even though it hurts._**

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**Home Is Where The Heart Is**

He'd never seen her that excited before, with shining eyes and a smile so bright, it seemed to be lighting up the whole plane. He fingers kept tapping the rhythm of the song she was listening to on her iPod and every once in a while she sent him a small glance and huge grin. He was glad that he'd been seated next to her and didn't have to share a seat with his other co-workers. Gibbs had been unbearably grumpy throughout the last month, Abby was constantly rambling, like always, and McGee… well he was McGee, for God's sake!

Let's just say everything went way better than expected with him sitting next to his partner. He thought about the day Vance had told them that their current investigation would lead them to Israel, and for once it had nothing to do with any Mossad deal gone wrong. Ziva seemed to be incredibly happy to go back to her home country after all this time. Honestly, he couldn't even imagine being out of the States for more than a month, so he had no idea what it must feel for her to come back after almost a decade of being away. He just hoped she wouldn't be disappointed.

**…**

"Zi! Hey, Ziva, wake up! We're going to land; you can already see the ground." He shook the sleeping woman next to him softly and she slowly opened her eyes. It took her a moment before she understood what he was saying, but once she got the meaning of his words, she couldn't sit still any longer. Her feet kept tapping nervously and he was sure if she didn't have her seatbelt on, she would jump up from her seating position. Never before had his partner reminded him of Abby, but now he could certainly make out some similarities.

Ziva absentmindedly took his hand when the plane first touched the ground and he knew without looking at her that she was holding her breath, struggling with her emotions. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and rubbed his thumb over her soft skin. If it had been any other day, he was sure she wouldn't have allowed this, but she didn'T quite seem to be herself.

**…**

They left the airport together, most of them surprised by the cool breeze swirling around them. He had expected unbearable heat, but the climate was actually really nice this time of the year. Not too hot, not too cold. Ziva was used to it of course, so he felt stupid when he asked her if she had expected something else.

The ride to their hotel was silent, except for Abby commenting on every single thing she laid eyes upon. "Oh, my God, did you see that weird tree? Or the woman with the little kid on the bike? Too cute."

"Abby!" Gibbs warned with a stern glance in the Goth's direction.

"Sorry, I'm just so happy that Vance let me come with you!"

"So are we Abby, but please… Shut _up_!" McGee whined, rubbing his temples. Tony could only guess what the younger agent must be feeling after hours and hours of Abby's rambling. He was probably close to committing suicide.

Ziva next to him was mutely staring out the window, wearing an expression he couldn't quite read. He really wanted to ask her what she was thinking, but somehow the question seemed too personal to be asked in the crowded car.

**…**

"So, I guess we're roomies," he said, waggling his eyebrows at his partner and dropping his bags on one of the two single beds. He was somewhat disappointed that there was obviously no need to share a bed, like on various occasions before.

"Yes, Tony, how very observant of you," she smiled.

He was actually aurprised she even answered him, because she hadn't really been that talkative throughout the whole journey. He bit his lip when he thought about the question he'd wanted to asked since they had learned that their briefing wasn't until the next day.

"Uh, Ziva?"

She stopped unpacking her toiletries in the bathroom and turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow when he didn't continue. "What?"

"It's still light out…" he cleared his throat and she laughed.

"Yes… and it is going to stay that way for a while. What is your point?"

"I was wondering… If you might want to, you know, have a look around. See what's changed… Maybe show me around a bit?"

The smile she sent him almost made him weak in the knees. "I would like that."

**…**

Her laughter rang through his ears while he watched her running through the streets, always stopping every couple of feet to let him catch up before she pointed out different things to him, either monuments or small shops with Hebrew names which she explained to him. He was sure that he wouldn't remember half of the stuff she told him, but that didn't matter because she was like a little girl on Christmas and he found it incredibly adorable.

Suddenly Ziva stopped mid-sentence to stare across the street where a woman with a little girl holding her hand was looking at some summer dresses. Without a word of explanation his partner ran towards them. He really hoped it was someone Ziva knew, because otherwise the woman's reaction – an enthusiastic hug and several kisses on the cheek –would seem a tad weird to him. But then again, what did he know about Israeli customs?

When Ziva looked up again she motioned for him to join them and he hesitantly approached the little group with a half-smile. "Tony, this is my cousin, Gavriella," Ziva introduced the black-haired woman, who seemed to be roughly th same age as her.

Gavriella hugged him as well and laughed a throaty laugh. "Oh, I have heard of you."

"You.. have?"

"Yes. Apparently you talked to my mother on the phone once."

He thought for a moment before he blushed when he realized what the woman meant. "Aunt Nettie."

"Exactly," Gavriella nodded with a grin.

He felt something tug at his pants before he could say something and he looked down to see the little girl staring up at him with a smile that made dimples form on her cheeks. "Shalom," the girl said and started giggling.

"Well, shalom to you too," he said, lowering himself to the same level as the girl's face. "What's your name, sweety?"

"Elisheva. And I do not like to be called 'sweety'," the girl answered in perfect English and he just stared at her in wonder.

"That's a beautiful name," he told her honestly.

Elisheva nodded. "It means '_God is my oath'_."

"May I ask how old you are?"

The girls smiled her dimple-smile. "I will be six next Thursday."

That surprised him. Elisheva seemed so much older than that, with a certain maturity and intelligence in her eyes one wouldn't expect from a five-year-old. He tussled her hair affectionately before he stood up straight again. "Where'd she learn to speak English?"

"Gavriella works for the Israeli Embassy," Ziva explained and there was something in the way she looked at him that he'd never seen before. He made a mental note to ask her about it when they were alone.

"We travel a lot and move around quite often," Gavriella said, while taking her daughter's hand back in hers.

"I also speak French and Italian!" the girl announced proudly, making everyone laugh.

**…**

The room was dark, but he was sure that his partner wasn't asleep yet. Her breathing was uneven and she moved a little too much.

"How was it? Meeting your cousin again after all this time?" he asked in a whisper. At first she didn't say anything and he thought she might have been asleep after all, but then she turned to look at him. He could see her eyes even in the darkness of the hotel room.

"I cannot describe it. I saw Gavriella once when she was in DC for a weekend. Elisheva was still a baby then."

"She's adorable," he said with a grin.

"She is. And she looks just like her mother." They fell silent for a long time and he almost fell asleep before Ziva talked again. "I did not know you were good with children, Tony."

He chuckled. "I didn't either. Guess it depends a lot on the kid." When he didn't get an answer, he decided to ask something, concerning a different subject he was interested in. "Hey, when Elisheva explained her name to me, it got me wondering. What does 'Ziva' mean exactly?"

His partner hesitated for a moment. "It means '_splendid'_."

"Yeah?" he let that sink in for a moment. "Suits you."

"Thank you."

"No, seriously. I mean before I didn't have a clue, but now that I know-"

"Goodnight, Tony," Ziva said with slight annoyance, effectively ending the conversation. He still heard the chuckle coming from her side of the room when he wished her '_splendid dreams'_.

**…**

They met up with the rest of the team in the hotel lobby to talk about the plan for the day. Gibbs seemed to be in a slightly better mood and the reason for that was either the Israeli coffee in his hand or the red-haired receptionist. Maybe even both.

"McGee, you and Abby are going to have a whole team of IT experts working for you. I don't care how you do it, just work your computer magic and find me that son of a bitch!"

"Sure, Boss." McGee said and Abby just nodded without much enthusiasm.

"What's wrong, Abbs?" Tony asked, slightly concerned.

The Goth's head shot up and her eyes narrowed. "Did you seriously just have the nerve to ask me that?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"There is no freaking _Caf-Pow_ in Israel, that's what's wrong!"

"Ouch…" he said, taking a step back when his co-workers death-glare hit him with full force.

"DiNozzo, David, you're with me going through the evidence and interviewing witnesses." Their boss barked and everyone took the cue and started leaving for the car park.

**…**

Ziva was sitting on their killer's back, cuffing him, when Tony finally caught up to her. The guy was yelling swear words of all sorts in multiple languages at his partner, but she had the situation perfectly under control, so he called Gibbs to inform him of the arrest.

"Well done, David," he complimented her with a grin. "Didn't even need my help."

His partner snorted once and rolled her eyes. "If I had I would be dead by now. Where the hell have you been? Did you stop for some ice cream on the way?"

"That was insulting on so many levels," he said with a frown, "I don't even know where to start being offended."

She rolled her eyes again. "Well, take your time thinking about that while I finish this job, yes?"

"Great idea!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands once. "I'll go get some ice cream!"

**…**

Back at the airport he handed her the suitcase she got from Gavriella as a late birthday-present and they silently followed their team to the gate. He couldn't help but take her hand in his, holding it gently. She looks up at him, mouthing a silent 'Thanks'.

"Hey, you'll come back someday," he assures her.

"Yes, and quite possibly before Elisheva's sixteenth birthday. I cannot let another decade pass before my next visit."

"Sounds like a plan."

They were waiting for their plane to get ready for boarding, when she suddenly turned to look at him. "You have been great these past days, Tony. I am glad I could show you _my_ Tel-Aviv."

"I'll never forget it," he told her truthfully.

Without warning her lips were suddenly on his, for the briefest of seconds. He wasn't even sure it actually happened.

"What the heck did I miss?" his boss yelled from where he was standing, wearing a perfectly confused expression..

Abby laid a calming hand on the older man's shoulder and gave him a warning look. "Don't," was all she said. Gibbs shook his head and threw his hands in the air.

"I need some coffee!" he called out incredulously and turned to walk away, pushing poor McGee out of the way in a not so gentle way.

This whole scene was proof to him that he hadn't imagined the kiss.

**…**

He couldn't wait for the end of the day to hand her his present, so the first thing he did when he arrived at work was placing the envelope on her desk. She sent him a questioning look.  
"What is this?"

"Open it," he ordered, walking around her desk so he could stand behind her. When she didn't do anything he sighed and took the envelope from her hands to open it himself. Without a word he handed her the content.

"Are those…?`" her voice trailed off while she studied the papers in her hands carefully.

"Yes. They're tickets. To Tel-Aviv. For Christmas." He smiled brightly at her, expecting her to smile just as bright. Instead she frowned at the present.

"Tony, who says we won't have to work on Christmas?"

"I do. Talked to Vance and Gibbs. Do you want me to call the SecNav as well?"

Ziva laughed. "No, thank you." She hesitated for a moment. "So.. we are flying to Israel together?"

"If you want me to come, that is." He was suddenly nervous she would reject him. Instead of answering she pressed her lips to his for a soft kiss.

"I could not think of a better person to come with me. Besides, what would I tell Elisheva? She would be devastated if I brought someone other than you."  
He chuckled and kissed her again.

"Hey you two, save it for the Holiday!" Gibbs barked, tossing him the keys to the van. "Dead Navy Officer found by the waterfront. Ducky's already there."

The two of them immediately switched to professional mode and grabbed their things before following their boss to the elevator. They would have enough time to talk about their trip after work, over some nice food and Israeli wine.

He was already excited for the night.

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